A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to scanning systems which "read" indicia, for example, barcode symbols, having parts with different light reflectivities and, in particular, to a scanner module for directing a beam of light in a predetermined scanning pattern at a barcode symbol and directing light reflected form the barcode symbol to an optical detector.
B. Discussion of the Related Art
Various optical readers and optical scanning systems have previously been developed for reading barcode symbols appearing on a label, or on the surface of an article. The barcode symbol itself is a coded pattern of indicia. Generally, scanning systems electro-optically transform the graphic indicia of the symbols into electrical signals which are decoded into alphanumeric characters. The resulting characters describe the article and/or some characteristic of the article to which the symbol is attached. Such characters typically comprise input data to a data processing system for applications in point-of-sale processing, inventory control, and the like.
As used in this specification and in the following claims, the terms "symbol," "barcode," and "barcode symbol" are used to denote a pattern of variable-width bars separated by variable-width spaces. The foregoing terms are intended to be broadly construed to cover many specific forms of one- and two-dimensional patterns including alphanumeric characters, as well as, bars and spaces.
The specific arrangement of bars or elements in a symbol defines the character represented according to a set of rules and definitions specified by the code. This is called the "symbology" of the code. The relative size of the bars and spaces is determined by the type of code used, as is the actual size of the bars and spaces. The number of characters per inch represented by the barcode symbol is referred to as the density of the symbol.
To encode a desired sequence of characters, a collection of element arrangements are concatenated to form the complete symbol, with each character being represented by its own corresponding group of elements. In some symbologies, a unique "start" and "stop" character is used to indicate where the barcode symbol begins and ends. A number of different barcode symbologies presently exist. These symbologies include one-dimensional codes such as UPC/EAN, Code 39, Code 128, Codabar, and Interleaved 2 of 5.
In order to increase the amount of data that can be represented or stored on a given amount of symbol surface area, several new symbologies have been developed. One new code standard, Code 49, introduced a two-dimensional concept of stacking rows of characters vertically instead of extending symbols bars horizontally. That is, there are several rows of bar and space patterns, instead of one long row. The structure of Code 49 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,239. Another two-dimensional code structure known as PDF417 is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/461,881 filed Jan. 5, 1990, commonly assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and hereby incorporated by reference.
Scanning systems have been disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,251,798; 4,369,361; 4,387,297; 4,409,470; 4,760,248; 4,896,026, all of which have been assigned to the assignee of the present invention. As disclosed in some of the above patents, and particularly in U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,470, one existing scanning system comprises a hand-held, portable laser scanning head. The hand-held scanning system is configured to allow a user to manually aim a light beam emanating from the head at a target symbol.
These scanning systems generally include a light source consisting of a gas laser or semiconductor laser. The use of semiconductor devices as the light source in scanning systems is especially desirable because of their small size, low cost and low power requirements. The laser beam is optically manipulated, typically by a focusing optical assembly, to form a beam spot having a certain size at a predetermined target location. Preferably, the cross section of the beam spot at the target location approximates the minimum width between symbol regions of different light reflectivity, i.e., the bars and spaces.
In conventional scanning systems, the light beam is directed by lens or similar optical components along a light path toward a target symbol. The scanner operates by repetitively scanning the light beam in a line or a series of lines across the target symbol by movement of a scanning component such as a mirror disposed in the path of the light beam. The scanning component may sweep the beam spot across the symbol, trace a scan line across and beyond the boundaries of the symbol, and/or scan a predetermined field of view.
Scanning systems also include a sensor or photodetector which functions to detect light reflected or scattered from the symbol. The photodetector or sensor is positioned in the scanner in an optical path so that it has a field of view which extends at least across and slightly beyond the boundaries of the symbol. A portion of the light beam reflected from the symbol is detected and converted into a pulse-width modulated signal which is decoded, based upon the specific symbology used for the symbol, into a binary data representation of the data encoded in the symbol. The binary data may then be subsequently decoded into the alphanumeric characters represented by the symbol.
Overall performance of a scanning system in reading symbols is a function of the optical capabilities of the scanning mechanism in directing a light beam at a target symbol and resolving the reflected light, and a function of the electronic subsystems which convert and process the information contained in the reflected light. A measure of the overall performance of a barcode symbol scanning system is its ability to resolve the narrowest elements of a barcode symbol and its ability to decode symbols located perhaps hundreds of inches away from the scanning system.
An important component of any scanning system is the scanner module which directs a well-defined light beam in a predetermined beam pattern at the barcode symbol and directs the reflected light from the barcode symbol to a suitable photodetector. The beam pattern that scans the barcode symbol can take a variety of forms, such as repeated line scan, standard raster scan, jittered raster scan, fishbone, petal, etc. These beam patterns are generated by controlled motions of one or more optical elements in the beam path. Typically, the optical element includes a mirror that is driven by some form of scanning motor to periodically deflect the beam through the desired beam scanning pattern. For a repeated line scan beam patter, a polygonal mirror undirectionally rotated by a simple motor can be utilized. For more complex beam patterns, more involved drive mechanisms are required.
The frequency at which the beam pattern is executed is also an important consideration. The more times a barcode symbol can be scanned in a given time period, the chances of obtaining a valid read of the barcode symbol are increased. This is particularly important when the barcode symbols are borne by moving objects, such as packages travelling on a conveyor belt.
Many applications call for a handheld scanning system, where a user aims a light beam at the barcode symbol, and the beam executes a scan pattern to read the barcode symbol. For such applications, the scanner module must be compact in order to be accommodated in a handheld package which may be pistol-shaped. Moreover, such scanners must be lightweight and structurally robust to withstand physical shock resulting from rough handling. It is also desirable that the scanner module consume minimal power during operation.